21 years of solopreneurship have taught me that one thing is for certain: uncertainty is cemented into the fabric of life and there’s no escaping it. In order to not lose my mind, I’ve had to learn to dance with it and the steps are often complicated and take time to learn.

Personally, uncertainty manifests for me as: catastrophising about failure, lying awake at 3am worrying about money, a sense of general unease and then procrastinating on taking useful action because I’m so caught up in the quagmire of my own mind.

Perhaps you can relate?

Uncertainty shows up in all areas of life. If you run your own business you’ll be all too familiar with it, but it’s just as keen to join the party as: job insecurity, health issues and relationship drama.

Fundamentally, it’s a feeling that perpetuates a state of being that keeps you well and truly stuck in a negative spiral. The good news is that the feelings and thoughts uncertainty elicits can be changed, here’s how:

10 ways you can deal with uncertainty and give yourself some relief:

1. Check your perspective: Often we’re so busy focusing on what’s not working and where things might go wrong that we’re unable to see things as they really are. Does the situation in front of you match the scenario you’re playing out in your head? If you stopped mentally fighting with the circumstances you find yourself in, could you shift your perspective and be more objective? Is it as bad as you fear? Is there an opportunity that you’re missing?

2. Talk it through: Getting all the uncertainties out of your head and talking your fears through with someone who’ll objectively listen can be incredibly helpful. Uncertainty is often very illogical and hearing your thoughts spoken aloud can help you reset your viewpoint and take the intensity out of your feelings. I’d suggest a coach or therapist for this kind of discussion; the goal is to process through what you’re feeling, not remain stuck in it (if you opt for a therapist to help you do this, choose carefully).

3. Process your emotions: You’ll have heard the phrase “you’ve got to feel it to heal it” and it’s true. If you want to deal with uncertainty and not be ruled by it, you’ll need to work through it. Journaling is a brilliant tool. What thoughts do you hear on repeat that feed the feeling? What situations keep the worry and anxiety alive and kicking? Write them down to get an understanding of what’s fueling your uncertainty. 

4. Focus on what you can control: If you focus on all the things you can’t control, life will feel incredibly overwhelming and you’ll quickly exhaust your mental resources. Instead, shift your focus to the things you can control. Maybe this is a morning routine or ritual like 20 minutes of yoga in the morning before work or drinking your coffee in a quiet spot in the garden each day. Routine equals predictability for a worried mind that’s craving stability.

5. Choose your audience wisely: Misery loves company and it’s always easy to find other people who will reinforce and exacerbate your feelings of uncertainty. The more you keep talking about how awful you feel, the longer you stay stuck in the feeling. Be selective about who you spend time with and the emotional state you’re left in at the end of a conversation. 

6. Learn to regulate your nervous system: Crippling feelings of uncertainty are fueled by a nervous system that’s in fight or flight mode. Calming your nervous system with slow deep breathing as well as using specific nervous system regulation techniques (I teach HeartMath) soothes the panic centre in your brain that’s responsible for all the uncertainty. Once the panic station is calm, you’ll regain access to your logical brain and some sensible perspective. 

7. Accept that change is inevitable: Life is always in flux, that’s the nature of being human and, despite what the panic centre of your brain might have you believe, it doesn’t always spell disaster. Reflect back on the times when you’ve experienced unexpected change. Have you coped? Was the outcome always negative? How did you grow and evolve as a result? What did you learn? I’ll bet you’re more resilient than you think.

8. Mitigate the damage: Some uncertainties can be anticipated and their effects mitigated. If job insecurity is a worry for you and the prospect of being unable to meet your financial obligations should you lose your job keeps you awake at night, can you create a financial buffer to reduce this fear? If you were to stash enough money away in a savings account to keep yourself afloat for 6 months if you found yourself jobless, I’m pretty sure you’d feel less panicked.

9. Give yourself a break: A change is as good as a holiday and sometimes what you need is to go somewhere else. Take a walk in your local park, take a day off and step away from the situation that’s triggering you. Time out in nature is not only calming, it’s scientifically proven to reduce stress – more on this here. 

10. Bring yourself into the present: Am I ok right now? This is the most powerful question you can ask yourself if you’re heading into an anxiety spiral. Chances are you are fine at this very moment, but your uncertainty is projecting fear and worry onto a possible future outcome that probably won’t materialise. Take a deep breath, bring yourself into the here and now and remind yourself of all the ways you’re safe NOW.

Uncertainty is incredibly uncomfortable, but as I have shared, it’s fundamentally just a feeling and it can be shifted. By learning to process it, calm it and work with it you’ll build your innate resilience levels and increase your tolerance to life events over which you have little control. If you’re reading this, you’ll have already overcome a plethora of uncertainty in your life and if you’ve done it once, you can do it again.

I’m here to help you:

If you’d like my support as you navigate a period of change or uncertainty in your life, please get in touch with me here or schedule a free strategy call with me here and let’s discuss your next steps. You don’t need to make a difficult period in life harder by struggling through it alone.